Cauvery Water Row: “We Are Protecting Farmers Interest” Says Karnataka Dy CM Shivakumar

Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar while speaking to the media on the ongoing Cauvery water-sharing dispute on Monday stated, “We are safeguarding the interests of Karnataka’s farmers.”

Shivakumar stated, “We are protecting the interests of Karnataka’s farmers. We know how to safeguard the interests of Karnataka’s farmers. BJP and JDS are playing politics. They demanded 25,000 cusecs of water. We have agreed to 3,000 cusecs. The matter is again in court, and we are appealing to the authorities to reduce it because there is no rainfall.”

Previously, Karnataka’s Deputy CM suggested that the only solution to the long-standing dispute is the Mekedatu project.

The Mekedatu project aims to create a balancing reservoir on the Cauvery River in Karnataka that includes the construction of a reservoir near Kanakapura, which will help supply drinking water to Bengaluru and support agricultural activities in the Cauvery basin.

The comments by the Deputy CM were criticized by former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who stated, “The Karnataka government has utterly failed Karnataka’s farmers… It is a directionless government incapable of safeguarding the state’s interests in interstate water disputes.”

The Tamil Nadu government demanded that Karnataka release 24,000 cusecs of water daily from its reservoirs and knocked on the doors of the Supreme Court.

In response, Karnataka filed a counter-affidavit last week opposing Tamil Nadu’s application, stating that it is based on the assumption of normal monsoon.

Previously, the Supreme Court remarked that it lacks expertise on the matter and sought a report from the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) on the quantum of water release.

Furthermore, the Cauvery water dispute has been a contentious issue between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu for decades, involving a battle over the sharing of Cauvery River water, a vital source of irrigation and drinking water for millions in the region.

The Central government formed the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) on June 2, 1990, for adjudicating disputes relating to the sharing of the Cauvery waters among Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Puducherry.